My Blender Smells Like It’s Burning! How to Fix

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Every once in a while our blender smells like it’s burning. It took us a while to figure out what was causing it.

My wife and I make smoothies almost every day and we’re always finding new ways to use our blender for different cooking tasks: chopping veggies, grinding coffee, making peanut butter, etc.

If your blender smells like rubber that’s because something in it is overheating. It’s might be the blades, the rotor, or something else.

99% of the time it’s a user error and 1% of the time it’s an issue with the blender itself – a broken part of bad product.

If you need to get a new blender, check out our list of the best blenders under $200! If you’ve got a bit more money to spend on a nicer blender, we’ve done a massive review after months of testing to pick the best Vitamix blender.

Why Does My Blender Have a Burning Smell?

If your blender has a burning smell it’s probably because the blender is overheating.

The blade assembly consists of several parts – the sealing rings, sealing plate, the blades, and the bearings. Any of these components could seize while blending, which causes the other parts to work overtime and cause a burning smell.

There could be a variety of reasons why your blender motor and blades are overworking and causing a burning smell. It could also be because you are blending foods that are inappropriate for your blender type or are overworking the blender.

Whenever you smell burning, shut off your blender and figure out what’s causing the machine to overheat.

Reasons Why Your Blender Smells Like It’s Burning

If your blender has a burning smell, the issue might be different depending on what kind of blender you have.

That’s why we’ve personally tested Vitamix, Ninja, and NutriBullet products (magic bullet is part of NB).

I’ll share the most common reasons we’ve seen that cause a blender to smell like burning rubber.

1. Not enough liquid
2. Blending frozen fruit or ice in a blender not meant for it
3. Worn out parts
4. Needs to be broken in
5. Blending for too long
6. Overloading the blender

I’ll walk through each of these in more depth.

1. Not enough liquid

If you don’t use enough liquid then your blades will have a hard time cutting through the food. This will cause your blades to get stuck and when this happens you’ll get hit with a wave of burning smell.

Blenders like NutriBullets are meant to be filled with liquid along with whatever food/ingredients you want to blend up. This helps the blades moved quickly through the food so that they can get blended easily.

If you don’t use enough liquid then you might have a hard time blending up your food causing the blender to smell like it’s burning.

This isn’t as big of a deal with Vitamix blenders because they’re stronger, but it can still be an issue.

The majority of blenders can’t blend frozen fruit without liquid and it increases your chances of damaging your blender!

2. Blending frozen fruit or ice in a blender not meant for it

Some blenders aren’t designed to handle frozen fruit or ice. Most countertop blenders can handle it, but if you’re using a personal blender it probably isn’t strong enough.

Blenders like NutriBullet or Magic Bullet can’t handle that much frozen fruit or ice. They’re intended to be used for more personal use and blending up smoothies.

Most NutriBullets have a wattage between 500 and 1000. This is much less than Vitamix wattage, which is around 1500.

They have enough watts for a good blender, but not enough to break down hard frozen fruit or ice. If you’re trying to blend ingredients like those it might be the reason your blender smells like it’s burning.

If you need a heavier duty blender, check out our list of the best blenders for crushing ice.

3. Worn out parts

Although most blenders should outlast the standard warranty period of one year, if you use it several times per day, it may not last as long. If you’re continually smelling burning coming from your blender, it could be a sign that the machine is being overused.

Over time, parts of the blender will begin to wear out. The blender blades won’t be as sharp, the motor won’t run as fast, and the ring might start to wear out.

The most common parts that wear out are the o-rings, torn seals, motor brushes, and blades.

This might be a sign that it’s time to get a new blender! If you’re still under warranty, then reach out to the brand for a replacement.

4. Needs to be broken in

If your blender is brand new, the drive socket and blender motor will heat up during the first few times you use the machine. The burning smell is caused by the base windings and is most likely nothing to worry about. Use it 2-3x and this should stop happening.

If you do notice your new blender smelling, turn it off and let it cool back down. A burning smell is to be expected as you break in your new piece of kit.

5. Blending for too long

If you are blending for too long it can cause your blender to overheat which causes the burning rubber smell.

Most blenders have a max amount of time you should run it before pausing to take a break.

NutriBullet recommends running their blenders in 60 second bursts.

You shouldn’t be blending anything that takes longer than that, but if you need more time, then let your blender rest for a minute before starting again.

You shouldn’t blend for more than three, 1-minute long sessions.

Vitamix blenders can run for longer as long as it isn’t a tough blending job. Something like soup can go for 6 minutes.

6. Overloading the blender

All blenders have a max capacity. Take a look on your container and you’ll see the max line on the blender jug.

If you overload your blender with too much food, it can cause the blades to slow down and be overworked. This will make your blender have a burning smell.

Avoid overloading the blender and you’ll be good to go.

Issues most common with specific blender brands

Vitamix

If your Vitamix smells like it’s burning there are 6 different potential reasons.

1. Overloading the blender
2. Not enough liquid
3. Air pockets causing issues
4. Over-use
5. Wrong speed settings
6. New Vitamixes have to get broken in

NutriBullet / Magic Bullet

If your NutriBullet smells like it’s burning there are 6 different causes that are most likely.

1. Blending frozen fruit or ice
2. Not enough liquid
3. Blending for too long
4. Overloading the blender
5. Worn out parts
6. Needs to be broken in

Read more: Magic Bullet blender smells like it’s burning

Ninja

If your Ninja blender smells like it’s burning there are a handful of different issues that could be causing it.

1. Blades get stuck while blending
2. Needs to be broken in
3. Not enough liquid
4. Blending for too long
5. Overloading the blender
6. Worn out parts

How to Maintain Your Blender and Prevent a Burning Smell

The key to maintaining a blender is to not overwork it beyond its capacity and to keep it clean.

When you’ve finished using your blender, clean out the contents as best you can before filling it halfway with warm soapy water. Put the lid on and start the motor at a low speed. Gradually increase the speed over a minute, before rinsing out the blender with warm water.

Final Verdict: What Else Can You Do If Your Blender Smells?

If you’ve tried everything on this list, then your best bet is to reach out to the brand who made your blender and try to get a replacement if you’re still under warranty.

The reality is that every blender out there will occasionally have a burning smell. It’s just the nature of the product.

Smaller blenders tend to have more issues because they can’t handle harder blending tasks. If you get yourself a Vitamix, you probably won’t have any issues!